


Lost In The Stacks

by audiaphilios



Series: From Tumblr With Lo-- [35]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Library, M/M, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-22 04:00:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9582701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/audiaphilios/pseuds/audiaphilios
Summary: Bitty’s small-town library was his safe space, but it was still Dewey Decimal, and he’s never had to deal with this Library of Congress nonsense before.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A super-short fic/headcanon that's more an introduction to an AU, really.
> 
> From [nocheckpls](http://nocheckpls.tumblr.com/)'s post:  
> "soo it’s half past midnight and i can’t sleep but imagine Jack working a bit in the Univerisity library (it’s quiet and stacking books helps with his anxiety) and first year student Bitty who cannot understand the search system /omg y'all/ and asking the cute library assistatant to help and Jack understands even less but doesn’t want to look stupid so accidentally Jack gets lost in there while helping Bitty find his books"
> 
> [Originally posted to tumblr October 13, 2016.](http://audiaphilios.tumblr.com/post/151721260770/nocheckpls-soo-its-half-past-midnight-and-i)

Bitty’s small-town library was his safe space, but it was still Dewey Decimal, and he’s never had to deal with this Library of Congress nonsense before. And, um, it may be Hell Week and he’s got a paper due and, well.

Jack works for the library, technically, helping catalogue estate libraries and collections, handling old books and converting the paper and card-catalogue records to digital. It's part of his post-grad work, confirming that these old, historical books are accounted for both in the old records and physically, and then hunt-and-peck entering their details into the computer system, because it’s not like he can scan the ISBN codes.

He’s not actually well-versed at all in day-to-day library operations, however. Tonight, he just got caught up in cataloguing, and then it was suddenly after dinner and the front desk staffer had clearly come down with some kind of food poisoning, so he makes sure they’ve got someone to take them to the ER. So after Shitty, desperately regretting that three-day old grocery store sushi, has been exasperatedly ushered out by Lardo, Jack finds himself manning the front desk at 1am and hoping that no one actually needs help.

Bitty approaches him, reluctantly, smelling like warm pie. And he notices the fact that Jack smells like old books. And neither of them says a damned thing about how appealing the other one smells, but neither can stop thinking about it, and then they’re, well, lost. But neither seems to mind all that much, despite the hour and their sundry responsibilities. It's worth the confusion for just a few more minutes next to him.


End file.
